Cold Black
by RoslinSharp
Summary: Set after the events of "Brave New World". Natasha is sent on a new mission.


Maria heard the quiet stomping of Fury's boots along the helicarrier floor long before he entered the meeting room.

"So, what's the situation on the group of "specials" we discovered in New York."  
"Well," Maria resisted the temptation to wipe the sleeplessness from her eyes, "we've managed to contain the incident caused by Claire Bennet. The world will remain oblivious to their existence."

"And the mutants themselves? Coulson tells me you've found some promising recruits?"

"Yes, Claire Bennet, Hiro Nakamura, and Ando Masahashi have all expressed interest in becoming Shield agents. Mohinder Suresh has already signed on to join our science division.

As for the rest, most have decided to return to private life, while we keep an eye on them. The only exception we have is Peter and Angela Petrelli. They've elected to join the Xavier institute. The "specials" are not actually mutants, they're part of an abandoned genetic experiment done by Mr. Sinister in the early 1600's. That's how they managed to stay under Xavier's radar."

"Interesting. Well, it seems you have everything under control, Hill. What did you need to see me about?"

"There's one more file I wanted to show to you. I'm still not sure what to do with this one."

Fury riffled through the file Maria handled him. "Ah yes, Tracy Strauss. Says here that her power is water manipulation. Hmm, killed at least 8 people, marked highly dangerous. There's no way we're keeping this one around as a civilian or an agent. You know what what to do, Hill."

Maria nodded in agreement. Tracy Strauss would have to be eliminated and she knew just the agent to do the job.

Natasha groaned at the weight of the special rifle Coulson had equipped her with for the mission. Clint might be used to the weight of his bow, but Natasha preferred her slim 3.5mm guns.

Tracy Strauss had taken up residence in a nearly desolate part of Chicago. Breaking in had been a piece of cake. A woman who could transform into water obviously had no worries about her own personal safety. Natasha just prayed Tracy would walk through the door like a normal person, otherwise things were about to get ugly fast.

Sure enough, Tracy emerged from the front door with a bag of groceries to find Natasha seated on the couch. She immediately dropped her bags, shifting into what Natasha assumed was her defensive position.

"Who are you? How did you find me? What do you want from me?" Tracy's expression was a mixture of fury and confusion.

"Tracy, please calm down. My name is Natasha Romanoff, I'm an agent of Shield."

Natasha narrowly dodged a heavy spray of water, throwing herself behind the couch and blasting her rifle in the direction of the ceiling.

As promised, the moisture dissipated from the apartment, making it drier than the Sahara desert. Natasha had no problem tackling a now powerless Tracy to the floor.

"I've heard of Shield, you're no better than those government agents who captured me and tied me up like an animal," Tracy hissed as she struggled under Natasha's grip.

"Trust me Tracy, Shield has no plans to lock up in a hot room, they want you eliminated all together."

This made Tracy thrash even harder. Even depowered, she was still surprisingly strong.

"Listen to me Tracy. I've read your file and I know what they did to you. Believe it or not, I understand why you did what you did."

Natasha eased her grip on Tracy as she continued.

"You see, there was a time when I was even worse than you. I killed relentlessly with no remorse. A man from Shield was sent to take me out but he made a different call and I ended up as a recruit instead."

Tracy had stopped struggling now.

"You see, being a senior agent of Shield gives you a bit of leeway on certain matters. I can easily kill you and complete my mission. However, I have something different in mind today. I want to make the same offer that man made me all those years ago. If you pledge your loyalty to Shield, agree to join us, you'll have the opportunity to not only redeem yourself, but even help others of your kind. It's your choice, Ms. Strauss."

Natasha could only hope Tracy would make the right decision.


End file.
